In the Light of the Moon
by Laitie
Summary: Not long after the gang took care of everything in Sailand and left, Husky's mother gave birth to a girl. She's not your average child, and Husky is left to care for her five years later after the palace is attacked. A war is on the horizon.


"Husky, I hate to ask this of you and your friends. But this is the only place she'll be safe." Crystal gazed at the young man desperately. A small girl sat in her aunt's lap, playing with two wooden figures on the table and completely oblivious to the conversation going on around her as Husky tried to process this sudden barrage of terrible news.

"We'll be happy to take her," Margaret said. "If Husky's OK with it."

Husky blinked. "Uhm, yeah," he said. "Sure."

Crystal took a breath. She looked as if a huge load had been lifted from her body. "Thank you," she said. "I'm sorry I don't have time to stay any longer. I must keep moving. Give the rebels less of a chance to find you two here." She helped slide the girl off her lap and stood. "Thank you again, everyone," she said. She leaned down and kissed the confused girl on the head. She made sure the girl was watching as she pointed to her and to Husky. "Stay here," she said before straightening. She turned and headed out. Confused, the girl followed.

"No, Luna," Nana said, reaching for the girl. She took the child's shoulder, who looked back at her confusedly. But she looked back at Crystal, seeing her leave. The girl began to panic and tried to pull away from Nana and cry out. Nana had to take the child with both arms. She lifted her and held her close, trying to comfort her. Luna tried to hit her.

"Luna," Cooro tried, approaching her and Nana. "You're going to stay here now. With us." He grinned. "We're gonna have so much fun!"

"Weren't you listening?" Husky scolded Cooro. "She's deaf! She can't hear what you're saying."

Luna continued to cry and fight. Harder and harder. Husky reached out and took her from Nana. As soon as Luna touched the skin on Husky's arm, her fighting stopped. She stared at Husky in shock for a moment before giving in completely to her own sobs and burying her face in his shoulder.

"Wow, Husky," Cooro said. "How'd you do that?"

Husky shook his head. "I don't know..." he said. But he was certain that whatever the girl felt when they touched, he felt it, too. A sort of connection. Or bond. He had never met this child in his life. But somehow, already, he cared quite a lot for her.

"She must know you're her brother," Margaret said with a soft grin.

Husky's brow furrowed. "She's never met me," he said dismissively, ignoring his own gut feeling about the situation.

"She didn't have to. Sometimes young children have their own ways of knowing."

"She does look just like you, Husky," Nana said with a grin. Senri nodded from his spot at the table. "You guys even have the same earrings."

Husky looked down and brushed aside some of Luna's blond hair to reveal her sapphire earrings. They were, indeed, just like his own. But, of course, that would be expected.

Husky frowned as the girl's sobs slowly began to calm. Was caring for a young child supposed to be this simple? Something told him it wasn't.

"Well, we should get back to work," Haden said, standing from his own seat at the table. "Luna will probably need a nap. You can come back when she's down, Husky."

Everyone nodded obediently. Senri, Cooro, and Haden went back to the workshop while Nana and Margaret went to prepare a bed for Luna in Nana's bedroom. Awkwardly, Husky sat on the couch as Luna's sobs finally calmed to small sniffles. He slowly pulled her away from him.

The girl rubbed her eyes before looking up at him. After a moment, she patted the top of her head. Husky furrowed his brow in puzzlement. She repeated the action, the expression of her face one of desperate questioning. With a frown, Husky shook his head, clueless as to what the child was trying to do. Luna pouted her lip, her shoulders slumped. He looked away. After a moment, her small hands grabbed the sides of his face and guided it back towards her. She leaned up and touched his forehead with hers.

Suddenly, Husky wasn't at home anymore. All he saw was an image of Crystal's face. A second later, he felt it. He felt the emotion. He felt as if he were the young child taken from his home and left in the hands of long-lost brother and strangers. As if he were the one asking where his Aunt Crystal was.

Just as suddenly as it had happened, the strange event was over. He was back at home, with Luna on his lap. He gazed at her, wide-eyed. She frowned back up at him, resting her hands on her hips, an impatient glare in her eye.

Husky let out a breath. Why didn't he realize it before? Of course Luna was wondering where Crystal went. She'd been with Crystal for the last two months. He shook his head sadly.

"She left," he said, though he knew she wouldn't understand him. When he dared to look back up at her a moment later, her face had once again fallen, as had her hands. She was staring down at his lap, looking devoid of all hope. Despite himself, he felt his heart break. Luna was even younger than he was when his world went upside-down. She was only, what, five?

"The bed's ready," Nana said with a grin as she and Margaret came down the stairs. Husky looked up at them.

"Thanks," he said before returning his attention to his little sister. "Luna," he said, lifting her chin with his finger. "Are you tired?" Making sure she was watching, he took his hand away to place them beside his face, making the semi-universal sign for sleeping.

Luna bit her lip and nodded. Husky took her in his arms again and picked her up as he stood. He carried the girl into the bedroom and laid her on the makeshift bed the women had prepared in the back of the room. Stiffly, he wrapped her up in the blankets and smoothed her hair. She was half asleep already when he turned to leave. But she had a grip on his pinkie finger, and as he pulled, she didn't let go. He looked back at her.

She was gazing up at him, her eyes begging. He shook his head. "I have to go to work," he said. "I'll be around when you wake up." He gently, yet firmly, pulled his hand from her grasp and walked out, politely closing the door behind him.


End file.
